Legion
by Drac the Gamer
Summary: Richard's parents were killed when he was 10. Katherine's mother was killed by demons. They never knew that their paths would cross like they did... and they never knew how much they would mean to the other. This is the story of a pair of shadowhunters who must work together to relieve themselves of a long forgotten enemy. Or else parish like their parents did...


_6 Years Earlier…_

A 10-year-old kid laughs hysterically as his mother tickles him on their couch. He curls into a ball tears filling his eyes. The kid's dirty blonde hair spikes up slightly towards the front; his blue eyes are filled with happiness.

"Mother! Stop!" The kid giggles, grabbing her hands.

"But it's the tickle monster, Richard!" His mother laughs still tickling the kid. "It's coming after you!" The woman's blue eyes shine as she tickles her son. Her blonde hair is tied back into a neat ponytail. A small edge of a black tattoo peeks out from under the hem of her black blouse.

An older man walks into the room. He's dressed in a set of black leather armor and combat boots. A small black symbol seems to blaze on the back of his wrist. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth when he sees the woman tickling Richard. Richard's gaze lands on the older man.

"Daddy!" Richard giggles, trying to keep his mother's hands away from his sides. "Save me from the tickle monster!"

The man chuckles as he steps forward and picks the kid up. "The tickle monster can't get you anymore!" He smiles and kisses the woman on the cheek.

Richard hugs his dad and glances down at his wrist. "What does that symbol mean?" He lightly touches the symbol.

His dad shifts Richard's weight to one arm and shows him the symbol. It kind of looks like a falcon's eye. "It stands for fearless. When you're older, just remember that there is nothing to really fear, but fear itself. Ok? Everything will be so much better." He smiles at Richard.

Richard nods. "Ok, daddy."

There's a loud knock on the front door. Richard's dad glances at his mom. "Are we expecting anyone?"

She shakes her head. "Not that I know." She walks towards the door.

There's low clicking noise coming from the other side of the door. Richard's dad's face pales. "Honey! Don't go near the door!" He places Richard on his feet quickly.

As she gets ready to open the door, it bursts into splinters. A small group of demons pour into the room. A small spider-like demon with mandibles for a lower jaw tackles Richard's mother to the ground and sinks its teeth into her shoulder. She shrieks in both alarm and pain as she hits the floor hard.

Richard's dad pulls a short glowing blade from his belt and turns to Richard. "Run, Richard. Don't look back. Ok?" Richard nods shaking. His dad hands him a small black rectangular cube and a different small sword. "It's name is Raviel. Now run!" He turns back to face the oncoming horde of demons with fire in his eyes.

Richard bolts down the hallway into his own room. He glances over his shoulder to see the demons tackle his dad into the hallway. The two demons had snakes for heads and spikes poke out of their backs. They sink their large fangs into his dad's throat. He gurgles as he meets Richard's eyes.

"Run!" He gurgles before a large demon looms in the doorway.

Richard yelps as he dives out of the window onto the fire escape. The demon slams into the window reaching it's jagged claws towards Richard. As if it was natural, Richard swings the small sword towards the demon. The demon hisses in pain when the holy sword slices through its hand. Richard quickly climbs down the fire escape. When he drops to the ground, he turns around to come face to face with an older man.

The older man glances down at him before looking up at the demon which was climbing out of the window. The demons pour out from the window behind the first demon. They all cackle at the older man. The older man has thinning black hair and stone-grey eyes. His hand slips under his large trench coat. The demons leap off the fire escape towards the man.

With quick decisive strikes, most of the demons are dead before they even hit the ground. There are only four demons left facing the older man and Richard. They stalk towards them cackling.

"Stay behind me." The man's voice is deep and commanding. He raises a small sword similar to the one Richard holds, but this one glows more brightly than the one Richard was holding.

Two of the demons leap towards Richard who yelps. The man slices through them before whipping around and digging the blade into the next one's skull. The last demon looms up behind the man, venom drips from the demons fangs that protrude from its mouth. Richard slams his glowing blade into the demon's spine. The man turns around as the demon slumps to the ground.

Richard stabs his sword into the demon over and over crying. The man hurries over and pulls the blade out of his hands. Richard turns around and hugs the man sobbing into his trench coat.

"Sh. It's ok. You're safe now, son." The man soothes, patting Richard's back. "What's your name, son?"

Richard looks up at him with tear-filled eyes. "R-Richard. M-My p-parents…. They k…" He starts sobbing again. "W-who are y-y-you?"

The man pats his back. He smiles slightly. "I'm Gilver, but you can call me Gil. I'm your father's…" He hesitates. "Friend." He finishes. "I was a close friend of your father's. Now lets get you out of here. I know somewhere where you'll be safe." Gil leads the young Richard down the street in silence.

 _6 Years Later…._

Richard sits up quickly drenched in sweat. He cursed under his breath as he pulls a black shirt and rolls up off the bed. His room at the institute was empty except for the single bed and the dresser that sat at the foot of the bed. He pushes a strand of his dirty blonde hair out of his deep blue eyes as he straps his seraph blade against his lower back. Without saying a word to anyone, he strolls out of the institute and down the street.

He strolls down the street with his hands in his pocket. Every now and then, he glances around him keeping an eye out for any demons. _Can't be too careful_ , he tells himself. He scolded himself as well. _All of this is making me go nuts_. He shakes his head glancing around again. His hand unconsciously slides to the hidden blade on his back. It had been the last thing his father had given him before he was killed.

Richard was so zoned out into keeping an eye out for trouble that he didn't see the girl in front of him. He walks directly into her causing him to take a step back.

"Hey!" The girl stumbles back before glaring at him. "Gee thanks." She brushes a strand of her brown hair back away from her brilliant blue eyes. She's wearing a black corset and a pair of black boots.

"Who. I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Richard apologizes before glancing around again. One of his many rune tattoos poked up at his collar bone.

The girl sees it and her eyes widen slightly. "You wouldn't happen to be a…" She glances around before looking back at him. "A shadowhunter now would you?"

Richard hesitates before nodding. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" He whispers, glancing around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"I'm completely lost. I need to find the London Institute. You couldn't by chance point me in the direction of it could you?" She asks.

Richard hesitates again before nodding. "Sure. Follow me." He turns back the way he had came and starts walking. He glances over his shoulder. "My name's Richard by the way."

The girl catches up to walk beside him. "Katherine."

"So why do you need to find the institute exactly?" Richard asks, trying to keep up conversation.

"I don't have anywhere to stay anymore, and they let people stay right?" Katherine asks, sounding hopeful.

Richard nods. "Yeah. As long as you're Nephilim."

She nods and smiles. "Ok. Good."

As they round the corner, her carefully looks around before continuing to walk down the road.

"Why so… hesitant?" She asks, looking up at him.

Richard studies her for a moment before answering. "Lets just say that I've been hunter certain demons who want me dead. I don't know why, but they do. The same demons had killed my parents when I was 10."

"Maybe we could help each other out." She suggests.

"And how could you help me exactly?" Richard asks curiously.

"Well, I can help you find the demons that killed your parents… or I can try to at least." She adds softly. "Two minds are better than one right?"

Richard shrugs. "I guess so, but do you even know how to fight?" He stops in front of an abandoned alley and stares at her.

"I…" She pauses, thinking how to word it. "I have had **proper** training. I was raised by a mundane, but I can learn, and I can hold my own in a fight."

Richard stares at her before glancing down the alley. Something shuffles in the darkness causing him to reach for his seraph blade.

Katherine had a dagger that had belonged to her father. Her mother had given it to her when she was younger. She drew the dagger slowly.

Richard motions for her to stay behind him before he starts moving into the alley. The creature shuffles towards them. "Raviel!" Richard shouts. The hunched over demon scampers towards them. "A Shanx demon!"

Katherine's eyes widen. She stays behind Richard, but she brandishes her dagger ready to defend herself in necessary.

The demon charges straight at Richard. He rolls to the side before leaping forward and digging his blade into the demon's back. Faster than Richard could move, the demon whips around and rakes its claws across his face. Richard roars in pain before falling back; his seraph blade skids halfway down the alley. The demon knocks him to the ground clamping his jaws onto his shoulder. Richard screams and starts cursing while trying to pry the demon off of his shoulder.

Katherine takes a quick glance around the alley. It was small littered with garbage and boxes. She jumps onto a box kicking the parallel wall to get as much height as she could. She then comes down hard on the demon's back slamming her dagger into the demon's 'heart.'

The demon screeches then slumps onto Richard who shoves the demon off. He sits up slowly gripping his shoulder. Blood gushed out of the wound where teeth marks bit deep into his skin.

"Are you ok?" Katherine ask, biting her lip. The demon's ichor had gotten onto her hands and was making her skin burn.

He glances at his shoulder and winces. "I'll be ok. Do you know how to draw runes?"

She nods. "Yes. I think so. I've drawn them on myself before."

"Ok. I need you to draw an irates rune on my shoulder." He explains to her. He carefully pulls his shirt off as he turns his back to her. Teeth marks in a semicircle ooze blood and black venom.

She hesitates for a moment before taking out her father's stele. It was a white stone with a symbol emblazoned on it. She places it against Richard's back before slowly starting to draw the rune.

Richard grimaced, but grits his teeth and didn't say anything.

She apologizes every time he winces. She pulls the stele away from his skin. "I'm done."

Richard nods, pulling his shirt back on slowly. The wounds are slowly closing up, but his shoulder was still stiff. "Thanks." He grabs his seraph blade and places it back in its scabbard. "Now, lets get you to the institute. I have some hunting to do." He strolls out of the alley and starts down the street again.

She followed close behind him. "You didn't answer my question from earlier."

"What question?" He asks, glancing at her.

"About helping each other out."

"You may know what you're doing, but I can't risk getting you injured or possibly killed." Richard answers, crossing the street.

"Please. I've got nothing else to lose." She begs, gripping his arm before letting go realizing it wasn't a good idea.

Richard looks down at her. "I just don't want to be the reason that you get killed or seriously injured."

"You won't be." She insists.

"And how are you sure of that? You saw in that alley. I was taken down. What if there had been more of those things in there? Then we both would've been killed, and it would have been all my fault." His voice cracks as he says it.

"We could train together. Get use to each other fighting styles. Look. It will work both ways. You need my help and I need yours."

"What do you mean you need my help?" Richard asks, curiously. He stops in front of a large church-like building. At first glance, it looked like it hadn't been occupied in years. The wood was starting to mold, and the iron gates were rusted.

"It's… a long story." Katherine whispers, looking down at the ground.

"How about this, if you tell me exactly why you need my help, I'll do what I can to help." Richard offers, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And in return, I help you. I don't take charity." Her eyes narrow at him.

Richard sighs before nodding. "Fine. Fair enough. Now tell me why you need my help."

She glances down at her hands before looking him in the eye. "I need to find my dad. My mum… she's a mundane, and he chose the Clave over her." She explains. _Over us_ , she tells herself. "I never met him, and my mum was killed by demons a couple weeks ago. I think… I think he deserves to know that she's gone, and that he has a daughter. I want to know who sent the demons after her."

Richard's gaze softens. He understood her situation better than she thought. "Oh." He glances into the distance before meeting her eyes again. "We'll train so that we can understand each other's fighting styles. You will do what I saw when I say it. No exceptions. Got it?"

She nods slowly. "Thank you. So where's the institute?"

He turns to the huge rundown building. "That's it right there."

She raises an eyebrow at him studying the rusted gate and the rotted wood. "It's an old church."

"That's how it looks to mundanes. It keeps it hidden from them. Relax your mind, and you'll be able to see it." Richard explains softly.

She sighs before closing her eyes. She then opens them and looks up at the new building standing in front of her. "Huh."

The church had been replaced with a large building the size of a small store. The rotted wood was replaced with smooth black stones. The windows glowed with a warm glow. The rusted iron gates where now tall pointed spikes with a gate in the middle.

"Home sweet home." Richard mutters under his breath causing Katherine to give him an odd look.


End file.
